Barry Bonds’ conviction upheld by federal appeals court

San Francisco – A federal appeals court has upheld the conviction of former professional baseball player Barry Bonds for obstruction of justice. As reported by the Associated Press (AP), Bonds, a former slugger for the Giants, was convicted of the charge after giving testimony before a grand jury in 2003 pertaining a performance enhancing drug use investigation.

Bonds was found by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to have given “evasive” testimony that could potentially mislead investigators and negatively impact their investigation. The probe focused on a performance enhancing drug ring at the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, or BALCO.

Judge Mary Schroeder is quoted by the AP as writing of a statement given by Bonds that led to the obstruction of justice charge, “The statement served to divert the grand jury’s attention away from the relevant inquiry of the investigation, which was Anderson and BALCO’s distribution of steroids and PEDs… The statement was therefore evasive.”

Bonds was sentenced to 30 days of house arrest and two years probation following his trial in 2011. If his conviction stands, he will be required to serve the sentence.

Bonds is the son of former MLB player Bobby Bonds.

This report is provided by Justice News Flash – San Francisco Legal News